A Little Lust DVD review

Relentlessly bullied at school, Rocco (Andrea Amato) is forced to come out to his parents after an incident in the school bathroom led to a boy jumping out of a window. Initially Rocco tries to distance himself from the incident but when it becomes impossible, he decides to come out to his open-minded but divorced parents. The reaction isn’t quite what he hoped for and his mother Olga (Veronica Pivetti) tries to get her ex-husband, who is a famous psychiatrist (Corrado Invernizzi), to counsel their son.

Deciding that he needs to get away from it all, Rocco ropes in his friends Maria (Carolina Pavone) and Mauri (Francesco De Miranda) to run away with him so they can see their favourite singer, who has recently been outed and is embarking on his last ever tour, in concert. Olga pursues her son with her fascist mother Amanda (Pia Engleberth).

A Little Lust is part drama, part comedy and sometimes it isn’t sure which genre to comfortably settle in. Rocco’s revelation to his parents sets you up to expect a heart-wrenching drama but that’s not what unfolds. The film mixes its emotive subject matter with plenty of comedy, especially when it follows Olga and Amanda searching for Rocco.

Credit: TLA Releasing

One of the things that is quite refreshing about the film is that Rocco’s coming out, while a big deal for the youngster, isn’t surrounded by the clichéd melodrama you get in many films. I don’t mean to lessen the experience of many people; it’s just nice to see that coming out doesn’t always have to be depicted with weeping, arguments and conflict. Rocco’s parents, despite being open-minded, don’t welcome the news with open arms but they quickly realise that he is their son no matter what.

Veronica Pivetti pulls double duty as Olga and as director of the movie. For the most part her work in both roles is solid but the unevenness of the tone in places could have been rectified with slightly tighter direction. Andrea Amato is engaging as Rocco and Pia Engleberth is a scene-stealer with the most outrageous and hilarious lines of dialogue.

A Little Lust definitely has a bit of an identity crisis but it’s a sweet movie that offers something new about coming out. It has plenty of laughs and there are solid performances from the entire cast. With a little tighter direction and more even tone, the film would have been even better than it is but as it stands it’s an amusing watch that’s worthy of your time.